The present invention relates generally to bearing assemblies and more particularly to a bearing assembly which is interposed between a shaft and a housing having the shaft axially movably received therein. The invention basically relates to a bearing assembly which includes a ball bushing inserted in a bushing receiving bore of the housing and guided through ball rings in ball races. At least one of the ball rings is arranged in torque transmitting engagement between the shaft and the ball bushing and a bearing plate is pressed against the ball ring section of the toreque transmitting ball ring by clamping means.
Bearings of the type discussed above are known from a brochure distributed by Thomson Industries Incorporated from 1975 having the title "Thomson Ball-Groove Shaft and Super Ball Bushing".
In a known arrangement of this type, a clamping device which is essentially formed by a threaded bolt which is screwed into the clamping bore engages a conical groove at the outer side of the bearing plate through a radially inner, central truncated cone-shaped projection whose diameter is reduced relative to the bolt diameter. It has been found that in this design tilting of the bearing plate about a tilting axis which is parallel to the bushing axis cannot be completely eliminated in the region of the contact surfaces between the clamping bolt and the bearing plate. This is particularly true when high torque is transmitted and when the bushing is manufactured from resilient material such as, for example, plastic material. Thus, the bearing plate may be caused to move relative to the plastic construction of the bushing. This causes an angular resilience to exist in the case of a torque loading which results in a negative influence upon the guidance accuracy of the assembly.
The present invention is directed toward the task of insuring that torque stiffness of the bearing and, accordingly, guidance accuracy thereof will be improved in a simple manner and with uncomplicated means, particularly without utilization of higher quality materials for the production of the ball bushing and for bearing plates, and without requiring increase in the manufacturing precision of the parts.